The first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) squadron of the Indian Air Force No. 45 ‘Flying Daggers’ along with the No. 221 Squadron ‘Valiants’ which flew almost one-third of all offensive missions of the IAF during the 1999 Kargil conflict are set to be awarded the President’s Standard while the 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) and 509 Signal Unit will be presented President’s Colours by President Droupadi Murmu at Hindon Air Force station on March 8.
Normally, President’s Standards and President’s Colours are presented to squadrons for the past 25 years of service, said Air Marshal P.M. Sinha, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command on Friday in a media interaction.
The No.45 Squadron being currently commanded by Group Captain Surendran was raised in 1959 with Vampire aircraft, and in 1960 took part in “Operation Vijay” in the Liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule. In 1965, as Pakistan launched a massive attack on August 1 in the Chhamb sector, No.45 Squadron was the first IAF unit to launch offensive missions on the first day of the conflict and it destroyed 10 enemy tanks. “Subsequently, ‘Flying Daggers’ flew 178 sorties in support of the Indian Army. After the war, the unit was re-equipped with MiG-21FL fighters,” Gp Capt. Surendran said at the briefing. In 1982, the unit was equipped with MiG-21 Bis aircraft. As part of “Operation Safed Sagar”, the squadron flew 50 operational missions.
The squadron was instrumental in safeguarding the skies over the Kutch region for two decades from 1982 to 2002, Gp Capt. Surendran said, adding, “The last air-to-air kill of the 20th century for the Indian Air Force was achieved by 45 Squadron wherein on August 10, 1999, an Atlantique aircraft of the Pakistan Navy, found operating inside Indian Airspace was intercepted and shot down with an R-60 air-to-air infrared missile.”
The squadron was wound down in 2002 and resurrected with the indigenous LCA Tejas in 2016. The Sqadron has played a pioneering role in operationalizing the Tejas aircraft and has flown Air Defence missions post Balakot operations, Gp Capt Surendran added.
The 11 BRD is the only fighter aircraft BRD of the IAF, established under Maintenance Command on April 29, 1974 at Ojhar, Nashik. It is commanded by Air Commodore Ashutosh Vaidya. Su-7 was the first aircraft to be overhauled by the depot and in the subsequent years, variants of MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft have been overhauled, he said. “Presently, the task of overhaul of MiG-29 (Upgrade) and Su-30 MKI aircraft is being undertaken by the depot,” Air Commodore Vaidya stated. “The focus on indigenisation and innovation has ensured sustenance of frontline IAF fleets even during disruptions in global supply chain, be it the disintegration of the Soviet Union, COVID-19 pandemic or the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict.”
The No. 221 ‘Valiants’ Squadron, commanded by Gp Capt Shubhankan, goes back to February 14, 1963 when it was raised at Barrackpore, with Vampire aircraft. It saw action in the 1965 war and in August 1968 was one of the first squadrons to be re-equipped with the Su-7 supersonic attack fighter. The squadron was decorated with Battle Honours for their exemplary performance during this war.
During “Operation Meghdoot”, having re-equipped with the venerable MiG-23BN aircraft, the Valiants flew extensively in Kashmir Sector, taking up valley attacks and deterring threats from across the Line of Control (LoC), said Gp Capt Shubhankan.
“During this period, the squadron pioneered armament delivery at a high altitude apart from undertaking extensive photo reconnaissance runs over Pakistani troops in Siachen. The crowning moment during the operation was when Squadron Leader Joshi landed the first MiG-23 BN at Leh airfield in 1984,” he stated.
During “Operation Safed Sagar”, in the Kargil conflict, the opening shots were fired by 221 Squadron, according to Gp Capt Shubhankan and eventually flew almost one-third of all offensive missions. The squadron wound down in 2009 and was resurrected in January 2017 with Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft.
The 509 Signal Unit is commanded by Gp Capt Vivek Sharma. Established in March 1965, it is presently functioning as an Air Defence Direction Centre at its present location, which is also the highest point in Meghalaya.
“The watershed moments in the unit’s history, dates back to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 wherein 509 SU emerged as the epicentre of all air defence activities over East Pakistan,” Gp Capt Sharma said. “A defining moment came with the precision strike on the Governor’s House in Dhaka, orchestrated from the operations room of the unit.”
Perhaps the most transformative moment in the unit’s history came on November 1, 2019, when it was upgraded to the Integrated Air Command and Control System and assumed the role of an IACCS tactical node, Gp Capt Sharma added. It maintains vigilance on the entire northeastern airspace.
